How to Take Back 2020: a College Student's Guide

It's no shock that 2020 has been a year of unexpected. While most may have set their 'New Year's Resolutions' and goals on January 1st for the incoming year ahead, COVID-19 had other ideas. Whether it was a job, internship, travel, or fitness- many of our personal favorites had to be put to the side in order to combat the unknown. As a college student close to graduation, I experienced this downfall firsthand and I'm going to show you all what I did to give my 2020 goals a complete makeover.

For planners like myself, a carefully organized list is essential to being productive and holding accountability. For those soon-to-be college graduates, there's many boxes that need to be checked before graduation and it's never too late to start! In order to reclaim your 'best year ever', you need to write down your most achievable goals in order from 1-5. Disclaimer, it is important to remember that balance is everything and checking the boxes in one week to play 'catch up' is not necessarily required. Enjoy your time and celebrate the small steps you complete that will eventually lead you to being able to check the box off on your list. 

College is a game of checks and balances. For every step you take, there is a possibility of a setback- which is okay. Keep your list of goals still relevant to your daily life by using the SMART setting. SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goals will keep your eye on the prize and motivate you to push ahead even when the occasional global pandemic throws a wrench in your 5-Year plan. 

Ask yourself, do I have SMART goals? Are my goals adaptable to a pandemic? Can I see myself using this list of goals to make a NEW 5-Year plan that IS adaptable and achievable? If you answered no to any of these, I highly encourage you to check out the link below to read more about what you can do to create a 'mid year's check-in' of your resolutions for the rest of 2020.

Link: https://www.smartsheet.com/blog/essential-guide-writing-smart-goals